Building institutional capacity for agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa

Though there are reported signs of improved agricultural performance in sub-Saharan Africa, the overall picture remains bleak. The medium to long-term solution lies in the transformation of sub-Saharan agriculture through the application of science and technology. This keynote address, which was presented at the conference on ‘Agriculture and Agricultural Research in sub-Saharan Africa’, held in Douala, Cameroon, in November 1990, addresses the question of why, after almost one century of government presence in organized agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa, there are few or no breakthroughs commensurate with the resources invested. It identifies the following constraints: poor research management, institutional instability, manpower instability, inadequate funding, research programme instability, limited relevance of research, defective institutional arrangements for university research, and weak monitoring of research. The issues that must be addressed to realize the full potential of national agricultural research systems are also discussed. Bibliogr.